Underwater art

If you want to live a cultural experience that’s literally underwater, book a trip to Australia and make a visit to the Museum of Underwater Art (MOUA) a priority. Located on the Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of Townsville in northern Queensland, this underwater museum is an attraction of global importance. As well as being a tourist attraction, this curious space also has an educational mission to raise awareness for the conservation and restoration of reefs on a worldwide scale.

MOUA was created in 2016, based on an idea developed by the pair of marine biologists Adam Smith and Paul Marshall, in partnership with Paul Victory, the latter connected tourism. The main objectives of MOUA have always been to raise awareness and promote the importance of the Great Barrier Reef, through sculptures that interpret the daily challenges faced by the Reef in northern Queensland, namely climate change.

Preserving the culture and history of the local population is another objective of MOUA, a challenge it has fully achieved through the underwater art installations of the world's leading underwater sculptor: Jason deCaires Taylor.

Born in the United Kingdom in 1974, Taylor was among the first artists of his generation to dare to dive into the underwater world and turn it into an artistic exhibition space. His unusual projects aim to launch the debate on the relationship between man and the seas and highlight the importance of their conservation. The British artist believes that being underwater is a deeply personal and liberating experience. Without false moralities, he also admits that, once submerged, his works cease to be his and become part of the Ocean and all the creatures that live there. Can you resist this cultural “dive”?

moua.com.au